Isomaltulose and blood sugar in clinical trials
What it found
In people, drinks sweetened with isomaltulose raised blood sugar and insulin less than sucrose or maltodextrin.
Some studies also found better memory and mood later in the morning after an isomaltulose breakfast.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar after drinks
In adults, average blood sugar in the first 60 minutes after drinking isomaltulose was 20% to 52% lower than after sucrose or maltodextrin. Insulin levels and glucose areas under the curve were 30% to 50% lower after isomaltulose than after sucrose.
Type 2 diabetes
In people with type 2 diabetes, isomaltulose led to lower glucose and insulin levels over 180 minutes compared with sucrose. A separate study using labelled glucose found the maximum blood glucose response was about 60% lower than with sucrose, and 40% less glucose was released from the body's own stores.
Type 1 diabetes and exercise
In people with type 1 diabetes, isomaltulose produced a flatter rise in glucose than dextrose, and they could reduce rapid-acting insulin doses by 50% to 75%. Taking isomaltulose before exercise improved blood sugar control and protected against low blood sugar while keeping running performance.
Memory and mood
A study in 75 children aged 5 to 11 found that a breakfast with isomaltulose led to better memory later in the morning and better mood than a higher GI breakfast. A study in 155 middle-aged and older adults found better episodic and working memory and better mood, strongest later after the meal.
Fat burning during exercise
In studies with healthy, overweight, diabetic and trained people, isomaltulose led to higher fat oxidation during physical activity compared with high GI carbohydrates. One trial found better cycling performance in a time trial after isomaltulose.
Weight and pregnancy
The authors discuss that a high GI diet may lead to more fat storage when energy intake is high. A meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials in 1985 women found that low GI diets reduced fasting and 2-hour glucose, gestational weight gain, birth weight, and the number of babies born large for gestational age.
What the authors conclude
“In summary, low-GI diets and low-GI drinks, based on isomaltulose, were shown to have beneficial effects in various conditions, ranging from clinical use as nutritional treatment of diabetes to improved physical outcome during and after exercise.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that low-GI diets and low-GI drinks based on isomaltulose have beneficial effects in conditions ranging from diabetes to exercise.
- They note that in a mixed diet, isomaltulose at about 10% of calories over 12 weeks only lowered the overall dietary GI by 6, which was not enough to reduce HbA1c, so a higher daily intake may be needed.
- They say that in children and in older and middle-aged adults with good glucose tolerance, lowering the GI of breakfast with isomaltulose improved cognition later in the morning.
How it was done
Low glycemic index diets are meant to help control blood sugar in people with diabetes and may offer metabolic benefits to others. The authors wanted to pull together clinical trials on isomaltulose, a low glycemic index sugar, and its effects on blood sugar and fat burning.
They searched four databases for clinical trials on isomaltulose up to 15 December 2016 and found 27 trials. They focused on 12 reports where adults drank isomaltulose as a beverage, mostly in randomized crossover studies, with doses of 50 to 75 g and observations lasting 90 to 180 minutes.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the trials were short, lasting 90 to 180 minutes, so they cannot show what happens over months or years.
- The studies used different doses, drinks and populations, so the size of the effect in everyday life is not clear.
- The findings on weight and pregnancy come from mixed studies and the authors say long-term studies are still needed.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest. S.T. is employee of BENEO/Südzucker Group.
- Authors work at
- Justus Liebig University, Germany; BENEO-Institute, Germany; University of Hohenheim, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Low Glycemic Index Prototype Isomaltulose-Update of Clinical Trials
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Maresch CC, Petry SF, Theis S, Bosy-Westphal A, Linn T (2017). Low Glycemic Index Prototype Isomaltulose-Update of Clinical Trials. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu9040381Free full textPubMed 28406437DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error